Clarkston High School wins contest for media center modernization

Clarkston High School students recently started the 2025-26 academic year with a media center transformation thanks to Georgia United Credit Union Foundation’s School Crashers Program.

The School Crashers Program, which offers accredited K-12 schools across Georgia the opportunity to apply for grants to improve learning environments for students, faculty, and staff, worked over the summer to remove old carpeting and install new flooring, paint walls, and add new furniture to the space, to help with the school’s goal of updating the library from traditional to modern.

Officials with the foundation said they receive hundreds of applications from schools each year, but Clarkston High School Media Specialist Tracie Harden’s submission was “a compelling story that captured the hearts of the judges during this year’s contest.”

In her application, Harden said Clarkston High School had applied for School Crashers projects since 2014, only to watch makeovers be awarded to other schools over the years. “Our 60-year-old school was in desperate need of an update from the older library look from the early 2000s to a more modern media center that represents where we are now,” Harden shared in her application. “We needed a transformation and more importantly, our students needed to know they deserve to have this experience. The school’s library media center has always been a safe haven for our students, faculty and staff. We accommodate our extremely diverse student population’s needs for a quiet place to study, research, read, or pray.”

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the updated space held in August, Georgia United CEO Debbie Smith said the media room makeover at Clarkston High School represented a “full circle moment” for the foundation and credit union. “We got our start as the DeKalb County Teachers Federal Credit Union back in 1958 and our original office was next door to this very school,” she said.

The School Crashers nomination period opened in mid-December. Interested schools were asked to include a photograph along with a 250-word essay describing why their school should receive a makeover. Nominations were received from 212 applicant schools by the Jan. 31 deadline, with Clarkston High School being selected among four additional winners throughout the state.

Funding for the School Crashers program is provided by the Georgia United Foundation and donations made by community partners.

“When I see the new media center, I see something conducive to learning, reading, and boosting morale,” said DeKalb County School District’s Chief of Staff Elijah Palmer at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Most importantly this space will strengthen our partnerships with our communities and families.”

Clarkston High School, located at 618 North Indian Creek Drive, enrolls more than 1,400 students according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

For information, visit https://gucufoundation.org/programs/school-crashers.